Examining aesthetic art influences at Hotel Ponce de Leon

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Flagler College Art Professor, Catherine McFarland, announced to Historic City News that the fall 2013 Community Lecture Series will kick off with an examination of the art inherent in the Hotel Ponce de Leon on September 17.

McFarland will lead the discussion on the “Aesthetic Movement” — an art movement of the 19th century supporting the emphasis of “aesthetic values” more than social-political themes; placing the National Historic Landmark into historical context.

“John Ruskin, the art historian, critic and philosopher, was the inspiration for this hugely important movement,” McFarland told Historic City News reporters. “We teach Ruskin at Flagler College, partly because of his influence on the aesthetics of the old hotel.”

McFarland’s lecture, “The Aesthetic Movement in America,” will feature approximately 60 images, including some pre-Raphaelite paintings, and will include anecdotes about the artists and writers.

Professor McFarland earned an M.A. in Art History from Emory University and a B.A. in Art History from Smith College. She received studio instruction in painting, sculpture, printmaking, design and photography from Atlanta College of Art and has completed post-graduate work at Emory University.

In honor of the 125th anniversary of the former Hotel Ponce de Leon, the 2013 Community Lecture Series is focused on “The Hotel Ponce de Leon Deconstructed: Building the Future for Modern America.”

The series features a lineup of historians and scholars discussing Henry Flagler’s vision for St. Augustine, social classes and American politics during the late 19th century, and the influence of art, music and literature during the Gilded Age.

Tickets to the lecture are $5 per person. Active military personnel may attend at no charge. Lectures begin at 10:00 a.m. in the Flagler Room at Flagler College, located at 74 King Street in St Augustine. The lecture will last approximately one hour and will be followed by a coffee and pastry reception.

This year, thanks to VISIT FLORIDA’s Cultural Heritage and Nature Tourism Grant Program, Flagler College is offering complimentary admission to the fall 2013 Flagler College Community Lecture Series for any St Johns County tourism employee. Tourism employees interested in attending the lecture will need to present their employee name tag or identification at the lecture series registration table.

Reservations for the lecture series are required due to limited space. Call (904) 819-6282 for reservations or more information. To watch a live stream of these lectures, visit http://ustream.tv/channel/community-lecture-series

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